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Staff writer

The Anoka Conservation District (ACD) recently received a generous gift from a St. Francis resident.

When Herbert Beach died July 27 at the age of 81, he left his 70-acre property to the conservation district.

“Herb wanted to take action to ensure the property he loved would be well taken care of for generations to come,” said District Manager Chris Lord.

Although the ACD board has not discussed its plans for the property yet, “this property will primarily be for wildlife and passive outdoor recreation,” he said.

“The property is ideally situated between the Bethel Wildlife Management Area and the Cedar Creek Greenway Corridor and so promises to support a variety of wildlife in the coming years.”

Although the ACD currently holds conservation easements on properties in Anoka County, “this is the first such donation that the ACD has received,” Lord  said.

The property is “wonderful,” with a mix of woodlands, wetlands and open prairies in the process of being restored,” said Mary Jo Truchon, ACD chairperson after a visit to the property.

“It has great potential for outdoor education and enjoyment and simply as a place for wildlife to find a home,” she said.

This was not Beach’s first donation.

In 2004, Beach donated a conservation easement over the 70-acre property to the Minnesota Land Trust.

The easement gave away the development rights and prohibits the land from being sold for development, Lords said.

Beach was selected as Anoka County’s Outstanding Conservationist in  the 2005 by the ACD Board of Supervisors for donating the easement.

The easement plan also lays out restoration plans.

In 2005, the ACD helped Beach obtain a two-year, $18,000 grant to help restore the farmland to prairie, wildflowers and address other issues, including oak wilt, Lord said.

The decision

Both Herb and his younger brother Gerald “Ike” were lifelong bachelors, said neighbor and friend Bob Hirsch.

Ike farmed the land and Herb worked for the Soo Line Railroad, retiring after 37 years.

“It was Ike’s wish the land be given back to the wildlife,” Hirsch said.

Ike Beach died in 1998 and his older brother, with help from Hirsch, worked hard to fulfill his younger brother’s wish.

Hirsch called the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the city to see about donating the land.

Neither agency appeared interested because of where the property was located, Hirsch said.

The property is just south of the Isanti County border and west of the city of Bethel.

When DNR officials would not guarantee the property would not be traded for a different property, Herb Beach was not interested.

He liked what the conservation district said it could do for the property, Hirsch said.

“It took a year to find the right agency,” he said.

“Herb’s biggest concern was to protect the land for the wildlife. He didn’t want it developed in a way that would harm the wildlife,” Hirsch said.

The two brothers loved their land and they loved wildlife, he said.

The Beach family moved to St. Francis when Herb was 11.

The family raised livestock and farmed the fields. The brothers took over the farm and continued to raise livestock and some crops while working other jobs off the farm.

The brothers lived on the farm all their lives, Hirsch said.

“They were two of the nicest guys I ever knew. I spent many hours visiting with them,” he said.

In the end, Herb Beach was happy to have someone watching out for his land, Hirsch said.

“Both of the brothers were very dedicated to what they believed in,” he said.

“What they did with their property is a tremendous thing.”  

In the future, Hirsch would like to see the ACD install a sign that proclaims the land as the Herb and Ike Beach Preserve.

“I think Herb was very pleased with the Minnesota  Land Trust and the conversation district plans coincided with his (wishes for the property),” Hirsch said.  

“Herb will be missed, but he will live on through one of the few genuine material legacies that we can leave.” Lord said.

Conservation easements

Conservation easements and land donations provide “benefits to wildlife, water quality, drinking water quantity and recreation that will continue on long after we are all gone,” according to Lord.

Beach’s property could have supported approximately 20 residential building sites and could have sold for well over $1 million or up to 100 homes with future expansion of municipal sewer and water, Lord said.  

While ACD appreciates Beach’s gift, it does not always accept land donations or conservation easements.

“The overall greater good must be considered,” Lord said.

“Sometimes the highest and best use of the property is housing or commercial uses or open space.”

“If a property is close to important infrastructure like highways and municipal utilities and is cut off from other open space, providing little wildlife benefit, ACD is not likely to accept the property.”

Because of the work and commitment involved, the ACD also asks landowners for a cash payment to accompany their donations.

“It’s a huge commitment to agree to take care of someone else’s property forever in accordance with their wishes,” Lord said.

“It would be like asking someone to raise your children and their children’s children exactly as you would have done. It’s expensive, and someone needs to pay for it.”

To cover the very minimum cost of annual inspections and maintaining signage, a stewardship fee ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 is requested.

The interest is used to pay staff to ensure the easement is upheld while the principle is typically held in perpetuity, Lord said.

“Protected open space, while it may evolve over time and change in appearance, it will not change in purpose or character and when you think about it, it may be one of the few things we can leave behind that we could hope would still be around and enjoyed even hundreds of years from now. Now that’s a legacy,” said Nate Zwonitzer, ACD conservation technician.

Tammy Sakry is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it